All Blacks and Flying Fijians will play a rugby test match in San Diego on July 19

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The New Zealand All Blacks are moving a home test match abroad for the first time when they face South Pacific rival Fiji at San Diego State’s Snapdragon Stadium on July 19.

It will be the first time the All Blacks and the Flying Fijians will meet at a neutral site, as well as Fiji’s inaugural visit to the United States.

The All Blacks have played several exhibition matches in the United States throughout the years, including a 53-6 victory against the U.S. at what was then known as San Diego Stadium on Oct. 8, 1980. That stadium was replaced by 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium, which opened in 2022.

“It’s a massive step for New Zealand rugby, bringing a home test over to the States,” said Ma’a Nonu, a former All Blacks star who recently re-signed with the San Diego Legion, a founding member of Major League Rugby.

Given most American rugby fans have only seen the All Blacks on TV, “coming to the States is pretty exciting when the All Blacks touch down here,” Nonu said at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s such a physical game. Most of us have been coaching here in America and a lot of the kids love the contact. They’ll see that when they come here in July.”

The All Blacks and the Flying Fijians are ranked in the top 10 globally following the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. The All Blacks narrowly missed a record fourth World Cup title, which went to South Africa in a 12-11 win against New Zealand. Fiji beat Australia for the first time in 69 years and made the quarterfinals, equaling its best-ever finish.

Fijian great Waisale Serevi, a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, said the test match will be huge for his country, as well.

“Giving Fiji the opportunity to play them on neutral ground, for a small country, is a blessing for Fiji,” Serevi said. “It’s an honor and a privilege for Fiji to be invited to be a part of the big test coming up.”

The test match will help promote the sport in the United States, which will host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women’s championship in 2033.

“It’s been a long-held ambition for New Zealand Rugby and part of our wider strategy to increase the visibility and understanding of rugby in North America and to build our brand presence ahead of the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033, respectively,” New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson said in a statement.

“The All Blacks and Fiji share a deep connection to the game of rugby and to the Pacific region. … We want to deliver an event that will capture the imagination of sports fans across the United States and showcases the best qualities of our game,” Robinson added. “It promises to be a unique and entertaining afternoon of rugby and Pacific culture, and a great advertisement for the game.”

The San Diego match is one of 14 test matches the All Blacks will play in nine countries in their first season under new head coach Scott Robertson.

Robertson’s first test in charge will be against England at Dunedin on July 6. The All Blacks will play England again at Auckland’s Eden Park on July 13 before flying to San Diego to face Fiji.

“Playing England under the roof in Dunedin is a great start for us in a world-class stadium and then we go up to Auckland where we have a great record that we are really proud of,” Robertson said. “We then fly off to San Diego, which is exciting in itself. The Fijians know their way around the world and they’ll come out from everywhere. I know a lot of Kiwis will make the trip as well.”

New Zealand will play home Rugby Championship tests against Argentina at Wellington on Aug. 10 and Auckland on Aug. 17. It will then play world champion South Africa at Johannesburg on Aug. 31 and Cape Town on Sept. 7.

“We are playing up on the Highveld at Ellis Park and then down to Cape Town — they are iconic tests and I know a lot of Kiwis will be excited about that,” Robertson said. “It is a great chance to find out about ourselves against the world champions.”

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